


the lakes of north dakota

by jayyxx



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Diners, Fluff, Impala, Lakes, M/M, Road Trips, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-18 19:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4717388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayyxx/pseuds/jayyxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m hungry.”<br/>“So go to the store.” Sam suggests, shrugging a shoulder.<br/>“Boring…” Dean wines, using his grip on Sam’s chair to shake his attention away from his book. “You know what I really want?” Dean says while tapping Sam on the head. “a BLT from Carl’s diner.”<br/>“It’s a five and a half hour drive. No thanks.” states Sam, turning back to his book.  <br/>“C’mon Sam! We haven’t been in forever!” Dean complains, shaking his chair again.<br/> “I’ll go with you.” a voice from beside Dean calls. He turns to see Castiel’s bright blue eyes, full of light and curiosity, as they always are, staring up at him in fascination.  </p>
            </blockquote>





	the lakes of north dakota

**Author's Note:**

> Pretty much fluff and cuteness, rated teen for a few sentences near the end thAT ARENT EVEN THAT BAD but ya whatever  
> in my drafts this was called "french canadian writes about america" bc are there even lakes in north dakota!!??? no one knows. the US will be a forever mystery to me.

Dean’s groan is audible from the main room. He slams the fridge door close, making the bottles in the door compartments shake. “We have no food!” He yells, hoping someone will suddenly bring him a sandwich from thin air. He stands still, leaning against the fridge for a moment. When no one shows, he stomps into the main room, only to see Sam and Cas reading books, as always.  
“I’m hungry.”  
“So go to the store.” Sam suggests, shrugging a shoulder. His eyes never leave the text on the pages, but Cas’ do. He watches Dean lean against the back of Sam’s chair, trying to read the text over his shoulder.  
“Boring…” Dean wines, using his grip on Sam’s chair to shake his attention away from his book. “You know what I really want?” Dean says while tapping Sam on the head. “a BLT from Carl’s diner.”  
Sam looks up at his brother, brows furrowing. Carl’s diner was a restaurant near Bobby’s house in Sioux Falls. Bobby used to bring them there on the first night John would drop them off at his house. They would spend the night drinking soda and eating burgers, then they would go home and fall asleep with full belly’s for the first time in weeks.  
“It’s a five and a half hour drive. No thanks.” states Sam, turning back to his book.  “C’mon Sam! We haven’t been in forever!” Dean complains, shaking his chair again.  “I’ll go with you.” a voice from beside Dean calls. He turns to see Castiel’s bright blue eyes, full of light and curiosity, as they always are, staring up at him in fascination.   “You’d go with me on a road trip?”  “Sure.” Cas bids, shrugging his shoulders in a human manner that he’s just picked up. “I’d love too.” The brothers lift their brows in unison, but Cas doesn’t stager under their gazes.  “It’s ten hours there and back.” Sam says dryly, like he doesn’t understand why Castiel would like to be stuck in a car for ten hours with his older brother. “Dean is a horrible road tripper.” Dean steps back from Sam’s chair to look at him angrily.  “Am not.” “Are too, you sing too loud and chew with your mouth open and you make me pee in a bottle instead of just stopping.” Sam laughs, reminiscing. Dean scowls, looking back at Cas before mouthing “he’s lying.”  
Sam shakes his head. “Haven’t we spent enough time on the road?” Dean thinks for a moment. He spent his whole childhood living out of a car and motels. The Impala was where Sam grew up, living out of the backseat and growing into the man he is today. Dean’s oldest memories were made in that car. His worst ones too.  
Dean finally settles on; “you can never spend enough time on the road, Sammy,” and goes to Cas’ seat.  “Come on, Cas, we’ll make a day trip out of it. Go pack a bag.” He says with a true smile. Cas nods and pushes past Dean to get to his room.

Dean is giddy when he sees Castiel trot down the hallway with a small backpack over his shoulders and his leather jacket that Dean bought folded over his arm. He has one of Sam’s flannels tied around his waist, tied tightly as to not fall off his thin hips, even though they’re looking healthier then after his fall. His ratty grey teeshirt he bought at a Walmart hanging off his shoulders and exposing a collarbone as his dress shoes clank on the hardwood floor. He stands just in front of Dean and does his little bow, where he extends his arms and leans forward a bit, looking cleaned up and present.  
“You sure you got enough for one night?” He smirks, gesturing to the overfilled backpack that’s slung over his shoulder. Cas rolls his eyes but nods, like he had to confirm he’s ready, even when he knows Dean knows.  
“Alright then.” Dean says, shrugging his duffle onto the nook of his elbow. “Let’s go.”  After saying goodbye to Sam and making sure all the doors were locked three (or maybe four) times, they were on the road. The thrum of the engine and the car ripping through wind again makes Dean feel at home. It’s calming, relaxing, refreshing. It’s not that the bunker hasn’t become home to him, but he thinks the impala on the road is his true home. Castiel sits watching the familiar city of Lawrence pass by his window. Dean taps his fingers on the steering wheel as they exit the 70 and turn to the 29, which will take them right through Kansas City, straight to Sioux Falls.  
“So… What to you want to see while we’re there?” Dean asks to fill the space between them, though oddly comforting, Dean finds it more comforting when Castiel is speaking. “I don’t know.” Cas answers easily, eyes never leaving the glass.  “Uh, well… Do you know how to swim? We could stop at a river, its gonna get hot out today.” Dean thinks aloud, glancing at the one o’clock sun that smiles outside the window Cas is looking out. “We could have a bonfire and a swim after the diner.”  “I can not swim.” States Cas, who’s finally looking over to meet Dean’s random gazes at him between looking at the road.  
“Yeah, I don’t know. Don’t want you to drown…”  “You’d let me drown?” Cas asks teasingly.  “No… ‘Course not.”  
“Then theres no need to worry about that.” Castiel ends and Dean laughs to himself.

Kansas City passes without much trouble, there was an idiot who tried to change lanes in an intersection but that settled with a lot of honking and curse words. That had him riled up a bit, but now — out of the city and into the forestry that hides the road, with Castiel humming along to the songs on the radio, he’s calm. He watches the trees pass and wonders where a river is winding through the trees. How far is it and how he could get to it. Strip his shirt and jeans and feel the cool rush of the fresh water streaming over his limbs and chilling his bones. He thinks of setting up a camp fire and eating marshmallows. Letting the stars above his head reflect in the drip of water on his skin. He’d let Sam fall asleep wrapped in a towel in the passenger seat, head lulling against the window. With the smell of the pine trees and the warmth of the sun leaking through the open window he wonders why they don’t drive this road more often, find a lake close to the bunker and set up camp for a night. Yeah, he knows why they really don’t, but he wishes they would just forget about werewolves and wendigos and just enjoyed each others company and the glow of the stars in the night sky.  
He taps his left foot on the floor mat along to the beat of the music. “I like this song.” Says Castiel, looking over from the window again. Dean smiles; “Yeah?”  “Yeah.” Cas ends, nodding along to the song.  
“…There’s an angel on my shoulder” Dean sings, tapping the wheel. “In my hand—a sword of gold.” “Let me wander in your garden…” They sing together. “And the seeds of love I’ll sow, you know!” Dean catches himself watching Castiel’s profile, singing to the window instead of watching the long straight road. “Now the world is spinning faster…”  
“Are you dizzy when you’re stoned?” Cas sings and Dean is reminded of the altered world where he might have had to ask that question, but that only makes him grateful for the man sitting beside him. Who is healthy and happy now he’s settled into human life. The sight of Castiel with his feet on the dash and his hand out the window, floating in the wind reminds him that they’ve made it. They beat Cas’ post-fall depression, even though he knows Cas still struggles, it’s better now. He overcame the of his shake of shoulder when he feels a phantom wing twitch. They made it through.  
Dean nods to himself, listening to Castiel’s deep voice sing the rest of the lyrics as his baby’s tires rip up asphalt. 

The sun was now hiding behind the treetops when Castiel points out the window, crunching the map that was resting on his lap, his index finger tracing the road as they drove. “Look!” He exclaims as they finally pass the seemingly never-ending pine and worm their way into a small farm town outside of Sioux Falls.  
“This is Centerville.” Says Dean, tapping on the window as they pass a group of cows, munching on grass beyond the barbed-wire fence. Cas leans over into the space between them to look at the calves and their mother’s run along the fence line. Dean smiles fondly, but pushes at Cas’ chest until he falls back into his side of the car, seatbelt clicking at the sudden movement. He fixes it, drawing his knees to his chest, mud stained shoe-souls pressing into the Impala’s seats. They’ve both got dirt covering the bottoms of their jeans and the tops of their shoes thanks to Cas wanting a picture with a hay bale. So —obviously— Dean got out and walked threw some nasty looking water that was collecting in the ditch and boosted Cas over the tall fence so he could pick the hay bale he wanted. Dean put his phone between the bars of the fence and watch Cas stretch an arm up above his head to show how tall the bale really was. They sent it to Sam with a caption of “this is how tall you are.” which he responded with a “yeah, ha ha ha.”  
They watched the farmland roll in and out until the sun was low along the horizon and the small buildings of Sioux Falls had yellow-orange lights shining in every window.  
They pull into the parking lot of Carl’s Diner, and Dean rips the keys from the ignition and practically falls over because of how numb his legs are, but somehow manages to hustle into the doors of the diner. The florescent lights hurt his eyes after driving in the cooling light of the falling sun. The bells chimes as Castiel joins him, and they press close together in the small corridor as they wait to be seated.  
“We always sat in that back corner.” Dean whispers hotly into Castiel’s ear as to not be heard by anyone else, not like it’s a secret, but Dean just might have wanted to be close to Cas. No big deal.  
“Hey hon, sorry, were you waiting a long while?” The hostess asks as she hurries to seat them. She’s older, maybe in her 50’s. Her hair is dyed red and her lip’s are stained with purple gloss. She’s got a pencil behind her ears and Dean feels like she has been working her a long time.  
“No, not long at all.” Dean answers, moving even closer to Cas as he hears the bell chime again, and another, larger man joins the small space. Cas tips his head to the side to let Dean have a place to squish up against him.  
“Just two?” She asks, looking for menu’s. Dean nods and she smiles as she hoists two menu’s onto her hip and directs them to an open table. The restaurant isn't packed full, but isn't empty. The back corner booth is free, so Castiel taps her on the arm.  “Can we sit there?” He asks, pointing to the corner. She nods and pushes through the tables to get to the back of the diner. They sit down across from each other, and take the menu’s as she hands them to them. She nods to them and runs to help the next man, waiting to be seated.  
Dean lets his eyes wander until he finds the sandwich he is looking for. He taps his fingers on the red ink, a grin spreading across his face.  “I’m gonna order six and take them home.” Castiel laughs at that. Pearly white teeth showing from behind plush pink lips as he tips his head back to show Dean the column of his throat. Dean ignores the way his heart skips a beat, or five, as he watches the other man. Cas bows his head, lips hiding his teeth again, but Dean saw them. Dean knows theres a real, gummy smile hidden under there.  
Dean scratches at his jaw and can feel his own smile under his hand.  
“Then I’ll get the same and we’ll be stocked.” Cas bids.  
“No way, I’ma eat these for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they'll be gone by next week!” Dean teases, rubbing his hands together as he spots the waitress come by.  
“Hey you two, what can I get y’all?” She drawls, pulling a notepad and pencil out of the pocket in her apron. She leans on one hip and writes the table number.  
“We’re both gonna have the BLT.” Cas tells her and she nods, writing down the order as well as the drinks and peach pie. 

It was dark out when they finally left. The clouds were grey where they hung in contrast to the black sky. The impala rumbled along the gravel as Dean drove them out of the city and into a forest that surrounded the lake.  
“We spent the whole summer here.” Dean tells as he throws some sticks into the circle of stones that is supposed to represent a fire pit. Cas sits on the last remaining log where there used to be four, watching quietly as Dean throws some matches onto the stack. He waves air at the flames until they are stable, and he disappears. Dean digs through his duffle and pulls out a bag of white candies that Castiel recognizes as marshmallows.  
“Here.” Dean says, passing him the bag and grabbing two smaller sticks from off the ground. Dean settles beside him on the log. “Have you ever made s’mores?” Dean asks, loading a marshmallow onto the stick before passing it off to Cas. He shakes his head.  
“You’re missing out.” Dean scoffs, extending his marshmallow over the flames. He pretends that the heat in his face is the flames, and not a blush, because Cas is looking at his profile, watching the light dance along the edges of his face. Dean tells himself the shiver that runs down his back when Castiel’s eyes roam the rest of his frame is the chill of the night air. He turns his attention to the water standing still along the shoreline. The waves move slowly, pushing the tide up an inch before it returns to how it lays now. He turns his attention back to the marshmallow, turning to ensure the flames cook all sides. Dean can see the orange glow hitting the sharp edges of Castiel’s jaw. The light flutters over his features, making his blue eyes sharp when they land on Dean’s own. He smiles softly, watching as Cas blinks and avert his gaze.  
“Your marshmallow is on fire.” Castiel says blandly. Dean jumps and breaks into laughter as he brings the flaming, charred marshmallow to his eyes. He blows it out and pulls it off the stick.  “Here.” Dean motions Castiel to come closer. “It’s burnt…” He answers simply. Dean shrugs and plops the treat into his mouth. He’s right, it’s burnt.  
“I thought s’mores were made with crackers and chocolate.” Castiel remarked, watching the way Dean tries to chew through the sticky mess of the marshmallow.  
“They are…” Dean explains between bites, “but I was too lazy to get them from the back seat.” He finishes with a smirk in Cas’ direction. He bumps their shoulders together playfully. He sees the distant look in Castiel’s eyes, but as soon as his gaze fixes on Dean they spark again, pupils dilating, showing a ring of blue shining impossibly bright in the dark light that Dean was sure was his grace, but now knows it’s just him. Just him, being beautiful when he’s distant and when he’s focused.  “You wanna try one? I won’t burn it.” Dean mutters, close to Cas’ face because he feels like he can’t brake his daydream. Cas shakes his head and watches Dean rub his sticky fingers the green flannel Sam let him borrow (but he's never giving it back, so its kind of like he stole it) that lays across both their laps.  
“I started this whole fire for one marshmallow?” Dean quips, smiling down at the man beside him. The light licks his face and Dean can see that the distant look he is wearing, is really one of exhaustion.  
“Hey.” Dean says to get his attention. “You sleepy?” Cas shrugs, but lets Dean pull him into his side. He puts his cheek on his shoulder, sighing at the relief of not having to sit up anymore. He lets Dean take some of the weight and relaxes, even just for a moment before Dean is speaking again, soft and gentle, stroking his thumb is slow circles on Cas’ shoulder; “should we go get a motel room?” Cas shakes his head. “We can sleep in the Impala.” he says easily, huffing air as he settles into Dean’s shoulder.  
Dean scoffs, “you wanna sleep in the Impala…?”  
Cas nods, the movement rustling his hair against Dean’s neck, sending heat to his cheeks. “Why?”  “I can watch the sun rise over the water.” Cas says simply. South Dakota was relatively flat, but there were small hills that look almost like tiny, pocket-sized mountains from where they’re sitting, and Dean gets it. “Okay,” he gives in. He pulls a hand through Castiel’s hair, trying to wake him from this between lucid stage he was slipping into.  
“Lets get you to bed, then.” Cas’ eyes flutter open, watching Dean as he stands and walks to the Impala, parked only a few feet away. He pulls the blankets and pillows from the trunk that he doesn’t think he’ll ever get rid of. He throws a pillow at the far door and leaves the blanket folded on the floor. Castiel is standing only a few feet behind him, rubbing at his eyes.  
“G’on then, hop in.” Dean motions for him to get into the car. Cas rolls his eyes, shrugging the leather jacket off his shoulders and balling it against his chest as he pushes past Dean and into the car. He lays down against the pillow, holding the jacket against his chest and is out like a light. Dean can’t even get his other shoe off before he’s asleep. It had to be around midnight, they’d been sitting out here a long time… Dean throws the blanket haphazardly over his still form and crawls into the front sleep, waiting for sleep to drag him down, too. 

He notices —now that he’s here— that the impala gets really stuffy when you sleep in it all night. His legs move without his command to kick out but his feet hit the driver side door with a thud. He’s curled in a ball, his knees pressing into the steering wheel. His body aches, but he knew it would, but still (for some reason) didn't just drive to a motel and sleep like a normal human. Maybe it’s because Cas wanted to do something with the whatever…  
Dean jumps up, spine popping with the movement. “Cas?” he tests, looking at the back seat to find it vacant. The one wool blanket pushes to the floor and pillow crushed in the middle where his head had been pressed. He rushes out the car door in a flurry of thin white sheets until he's out and in the light forest air.  
His worry fades as he sees the tall figure out in the water. His grey shirt and too-tight jeans thrown onto the dirt shore. He's standing completely still, all long lines and tanned skin, glowing in the early sun. Dean doesn’t even take his eyes off the other man as he strips his shirts and jeans, leaving them in a separate pile not a foot away from Cas’.  
He pushes through the freezing water until he's so close. He could reach out and touch those gold shoulders, muscles moving underneath soft skin. Its not that’s he’s never touched Castiel, but the last time he did, it was in the back seat of a stolen car, with the angel bouncing on his lap with his long legs on both sides of Dean as he screamed out, calling Cas’ name. It was fast and rough and scared. It was desperate and so very sad that Dean wiped tears away after Castiel left without even saying goodbye. That sweat soaked skin that stuck to his own looked nothing like what it does now. Then it pulsed with angelic power, high on a post apocalyptic buzz, so pale from never leaving the protection of a tan trench coat. Now its lean lines and healthy. Soft under Dean’s fingers as he traces the pure human power under them. He places a soft kiss to the man’s shoulder, softer then anything, more intimate then he's ever been. Cas’ eyes are watching over his shoulder, blue, always blue. Moving in front of him, Dean kisses those closed blue eyes, too. Castiel strokes a hand down his chest, legging his finger tips map out all that has changed. When Dean finally connects their mouths, its bright. Lights shine over them as the sun finally makes its way over the small hills, lighting the haven they’ve found and warming the water they’ve met. Dean’s hands are soft on Castiel’s cheeks, whereas his are harsh on Dean’s back, forcing their water-wet skin to glide together as Castiel lifts up onto his toes to get higher then Dean, and back down to get lower. He can’t decide which he likes better, having Dean glowing with the light of the warm sun below him, or dark in his shadow above him. He settles in the middle, balancing on the balls of his feet on a small, smooth rock under the water as he lets his lips slide. Dean’s nose bumps his own and Castiel chuckles into him.  “What?” Dean whispers, like theres someone near, closer then the four miles away they are.  
“You’re cute.” Castiel admits, pecking Dean quickly. Dean smirks, slinking down into the (freaking freezing!) water below, pulling Cas by the hips. Suddenly their both moving into the deeper water, Castiel's body curled around Dean’s, trying not to worry as the water gets deep.  
Suddenly the water is at Dean’s shoulders and Castiel’s legs are around his waist. As Cas kisses into his mouth again, Dean tries to keep them both up, and also not get too excited. Though, with the cold water surrounding him, he's pretty sure he's frozen, here, with Cas in his arms and lips on lips.  
It’s not the worst thing to happen. 

Sam doesn’t even say anything when Dean meets him in the hallway, halfway from leaving Castiel’s room. Dean smiles bright, and Sam punches him on the arm. But hey, its seems like everyone is happy, for now, at least.

**Author's Note:**

> WOW WHAT AN ENDING> i just wanted this to end ok just don't read the ending k thx love you.  
> kudos, and comments are SO NEEDED and if you GIVE ME ONE or BOTH I’ll send you a puppy in the mail I'm not kidding i work for the mail company.  
> song the boys sing in the car: houses of the holy-Led Zepplin 
> 
> no puppies were hurt in the thank you cards of the kudos/comment-ers  
> I’m @ghostycas on tumblr! come chat!


End file.
